I Quit!

Credit: Doug Jordan

I resigned a client. We weren’t a good fit. I gave it a shot but couldn’t provide any value. I made a promise to myself when I started this gig that if I couldn’t make a difference I would move on.

As I write these words, I recall my first piece published by Printing Impressions. If you’re up for scrolling you can likely find it. Perhaps the PI folks will drop a link into this piece and you can have a look. The title was “9 Tips to Make Your Career Pay You.”

Tip #1 was Do what you love doing and do it where you love doing it. The money will take care of itself.

I consider every tip in this article valuable but #1 is my favorite. I gave this advice to my kids when they were small. I shared it with my class at Clemson. I preach it to every rep I earn the opportunity to coach. I believe in Tip #1 and I practice what I preach.

I resigned the client. He wanted a different outcome but he really didn’t want to change the stuff that was broken. Like lots of folks, he wanted to do what he’d always done. He just wanted different results. That never works.

It’s like this. Buying a weight machine isn’t the same as using a weight machine. The treadmill in the corner won’t get you in shape. You have to use it. You have to change YOUR BEHAVIOR. Hiring a sales coach won’t change your numbers if you don’t submit to coaching.

I’m not right for those situations. The money is nice but I don’t need it enough to compromise what works. I have to look myself in the mirror each day. If I don’t like who I see looking back I have to make a change. So, I resigned the client.

I did stuff like this during my sales career too. I elected to work with people I liked. I focused on demanding clients that needed exceptional solutions. If the work didn’t push me, it wasn’t right for me. I was not a quote and hope guy. I didn’t want my quality of life dictated by bid collectors.

Do you ever feel this way? Do you like the client portfolio you’ve assembled? Are you chasing brands that are right for your life and future? Do you feel valuable? Do you like what you’re doing?

If you don’t, my advice is make a change. You’re selling your life for dollars. You owe it to yourself to like the deal.

Back in the 90’s I got a chance to do business with a new client. It was a department I had never penetrated with a soft drink giant. The work in front of me was more than the rest of my portfolio combined.

It came to me through a reseller. There were all sorts of strings attached. The payment terms were odd. The pricing protocol was different. It was lots of work but very complicated.

When my first purchase order arrived, I balked. I looked at what was expected compared to what was offered. I declined the work.

The reseller stripped a gear. She reported my decision to the end user and she called me directly. I shared what made it a bad fit and stood firm.

The lady from the soft drink company asked, “are you prepared to do this work if I buy it directly?” I said that I was and booked the order. It was the first of many, many more.

Know what is right for you and double down. Do what you love doing and do it where you love doing it. The money will take care of itself.

The preceding content was provided by a contributor unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Printing Impressions. Artificial Intelligence may have been used in part to create or edit this content.